~ The Story of Lord Ram’s 14-year Vanvaas begins April 7th at 9:30 pm on Ramayan only on NDTV Imagine ~

Mumbai, March 28, 2008….. April 7th marks the beginning of an epic journey that is a significant and poignant chapter in the Ramayan.  Lord Ram’s fourteen year Vanvaas begins on Ramayan on NDTV Imagine and is retold in a fresh and compelling manner, capturing the emotions and turmoil of each character.  Catch the special episodes starting Monday, April 7th and Tuesday, April 8th on Ramayan only on NDTV Imagine. The fourteen year exile of Lord Ram from the Kingdom of Ayodhya is filled with a variety of significant incidents and situations.  Each incident is a part of Lord Ram’s destiny, allowing him to fulfill his promise of freeing the world of evil forces.  The Vanvaas is preordained by Maha Vishnu to create a situation for his human avtaar, Lord Ram to move out of the palace and wander in the jungles to slay the numerous demons and demonesses who lived there. On the instigation of her maid Manthara, Queen Kaikeyi puts forth a demand to Raja Dashrath that Ram should be sent to the forests to spend fourteen years in exile. Manthara, who has always desired that Bharat should ascend the throne of Ayodhya, incites Kaikeyi that her son Bharat will be deprived of becoming the King of Ayodhya as Ram is Raja Dashrath's favorite son.  King Dashrath is forced to honour a commitment he had made to Kaikeyi many years ago when she had saved his life in a war. Raja Dashrath sorrowfully asks his beloved son Lord Ram to go on a Vanvaas of fourteen years. The loyal and obedient son agrees to leave the comfort of the palace for a long stay in the jungles. His brother Lakshman and his new bride Sita adamantly plead to be with him and he lets them accompany him. He bears no grudge against Kaikeyi who has loved him more than his mother.

Don’t miss the beginning of this hugely significant chapter of the Ramayan beginning April 7th at 9:30 p.m. only on NDTV IMAGINE.

About NDTV IMAGINE
NDTV Imagine is the new entertainment initiative from NDTV Ltd.  Spearheaded by Sameer Nair, the company has planned strategic forays into key businesses in the media and entertainment space. Ace director and producer, Karan Johar is a creative consultant and brand ambassador of this initiative.  This is further strengthened by the experience of Dr. Prannoy Roy and other seasoned professionals.  The company launched its Hindi General Entertainment channel, NDTV Imagine on January 21st, 2008, which promises to 'Entertain and Delight' audiences with a whole new world of Hindi entertainment. Catering to the needs of the entire spectrum of television viewers, the channel offers a wide variety of fresh programming across genres ranging from light-hearted family soaps to period dramas and from music based shows to the most glamorous events of the industry. As part of its larger plans for this dynamic and exciting business, the company has also recently launched NDTV Lumiere, an initiative which will bring contemporary cutting edge world cinema to discerning Indian audiences.

About NDTV
NDTV Ltd, founded in 1988, is India's largest news and infotainment network. It is home to the country's best and brightest reporters, anchors, camerapersons and producers; 23 offices and studios across the country host India's most modern and sophisticated production, newsgathering and archiving facilities. NDTV has an unmatched track record of successfully launching three news channels in India and two abroad: NDTV 24x7 is a clear leader in the English news segment, NDTV Profit, a 24-hour business plus channel, is India's number one business news channel, NDTV India is amongst the country's leading Hindi news channels, and NDTV MetroNation is fast emerging as one of the most watched city specific channels. It is credited with pioneering several broadcasting and programming initiatives in Indian television and has expanded into one of the nation's biggest broadcasting houses by growing beyond news broadcasting and venturing into non news verticals.